Dancers optimistic about 2017

Terming 2016 as a successful year for dance, noted dancers of the country said they are hopeful 2017 would be an even more successful one. They linked the said success to the number of events that took place in the last year as well as what they called an ‘increased interest’ among the youth in dancing. It could have turned out differently though, they said, with heightened security concerns especially in the second half of 2016 because of terrorist attacks but there were little to be worried about in the end. Minu Haq, noted dancer and also president of Bangladesh Nritya Shilpy Sangstha, told New Age that the dancers and dance organisations look forward to an eventful year. ‘We are opening the year with a festival held in memory of the late dancer Bulbul Chowdhury [starting January 1] and there are plans for some large-scale events and workshops in the coming months,’ she said, adding that there was an ‘increased interest’ in dance among the young generation. ‘In October last year, we organised a nationwide dance competition in Dhaka, in the final round of which some 350 students from across the country participated. We hope more dance enthusiasts will participate in this year’s contest.’Meanwhile, eminent dancer-choreographer Lubna Marium gave a hint about what the year could be like. ‘Bangladesh has been selected as the Theme Country in the prestigious Khajuraho Dance Festival, which will be held in February at Madhya Pradesh, India,’ she said. She also said Shadhona, of which she is the creative director, has a number of events lined up for 2017 including a workshop on Sufi and Buddhist dance. ‘Our dancers are now more committed to their passion, and more willing than ever to try new things, which is a positive sign. If this continues, dance in Bangladesh will reach a new height,’ she added. Noted dancer Shamim Ara Nipa, also one of the directors of Nrityanchal, said it is too early to comment on 2017 but given the turn of events in the last year including the terrorist attacks and the way the dance fraternity bounced back, 2017 promises to be a good year. ‘I hope more people will get involved in dance and the dance sector will flourish further, provided the socio-political climate of the country remains favourable,’ she said.